7 Reasons To Drive A Vintage Car

Do you dream of driving a vintage car?

1. It looks cool

Want to stand out and be noticed? Driving a vintage car will get you attention wherever you go. Vintage cars remind people of their youth and ‘better times’ when everything was good. You’ll be the local celebrity.

2. Preserve a classic

Vintage cars need owners who will look after them and preserve them. It will be satisfying to nurture an old neglected car and restore it to its former glory. You’re like a custodian, with a mission to stop a rare classic car from becoming extinct. Can you handle the responsibility?

3. The vintage car scene

You have a legitimate reason to get involved in a lively vintage car scene and meet other ‘like-minded’ car folk who love their cars as much as you do. If you’re not tinkering around with your car at weekends, you’ll be displaying your metal at classic car shows.

4. The experience

The noise, the smell, the rawness – there’s nothing quite like driving a dinosaur from another era of automotive engineering.

Restoring a vintage car will be hard work but it will be worth it

5. No NCT

So if the car is really old (registered before 1st January 1980), there currently is no compulsory NCT. This is under review and every owner and driver is obliged to ensure that their vehicle is roadworthy and in compliance with the law.

6. Reduced road tax

If your car is 30 or more years old you get reduced road tax of €56 regardless of engine size. Yay!

7. You could make shed loads of money

Ok, so you could lose a lot of money on costly repairs and restoration but you could also make A LOT of money if someday you decide to sell and the value of your vintage car has rocketed.

4 Comments on 7 Reasons To Drive A Vintage Car

There’s a Trabant in the shed, and a list of jobs to keep me busy over the winter. You would think that was enough.

But for the last week, I have been dreaming of a Renault 8. Inspired by old videos of Renault 8 Gordinis, driven by gentlemen racers before heading home again (check out Les Gordinistes on YT) I’m now trawling through French, Spanish and even Romanian classified sites for a decent shell, or even a whole car. Part of me thinks driving back in an old, unfamiliar car with no real provenance is madness, but more of me it would make for a brilliant adventure!

Hi Cian.Trabant and now Renault 8, I’m seeing a trend here – you definitely seem to have a ‘type’ when it comes to classic cars! You would feel awesome behind the wheel of that and the obscurity adds to the novelty value. Isn’t that what driving vintage is all about?

About the Author | Caroline Kidd

ChangingLanes.ie is my blog where I share all my thoughts on new cars and the motor industry. I love all things automotive and I've been writing about cars and reviewing them for over three years. Contact me at caroline@changinglanes.ie